THE state government will consider purchasing new V/Line trains as patronage on the Bendigo line continues to soar.
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V/Line’s latest annual report states patronage on the Bendigo line has increased 129 per cent in five years.
Transport Minister Terry Mulder said V/Line had prepared a “major document covering what it sees as the way forward”.
He said he would meet with Department of Transport officials in the coming weeks to discuss V/Line’s future.
“The Coalition government is considering the purchase of additional V/Line railcars as part of the state budget process,” Mr Mulder told the Bendigo Advertiser.
“By separating country trains from suburban trains between Sunshine and Southern Cross, the 2016 completion of Regional Rail Link will allow Bendigo line trains to enjoy a better run on rail tracks near Franklin Street, between North Melbourne and Southern Cross, as there will be fewer trains to cross over one another.”
The Bendigo service had 3.36 million passengers during the 2010-11 financial year, up 6.7 per cent on the previous year.
The service experienced a greater percentage increase in patronage than the Geelong and Ballarat lines during the past five years.
Geelong’s patronage rose 86 per cent in the past five years and Ballarat’s rose 126 per cent, while Gippsland experienced a 138-per-cent increase.
Growth on the Bendigo line during 2010-11 was below Geelong and Ballarat.
Mr Mulder said V/Line officials had tried to match train capacity with demand.
“For instance, in 2011 V/Line introduced an extra weekday mid afternoon train, the 3.50pm, from Eaglehawk to Southern Cross. With the AFL season approaching, this train will be especially useful on Friday afternoons to cater for Bendigonians attending a Friday night match,” Mr Mulder said.
Mr Mulder said the former government’s removal of passing loops and reducing dual lines to single tracks had made expanding train services difficult.
Former Australian deputy prime minister and train advocate Tim Fischer, during a visit to Bendigo, said small steps had been taken to improve rail services in regional Victoria.
But he said state and federal leaders had to pursue high-speed rail and consider the possibilities of light-rail.